It is beyond comprehension how some feel I have been "self-centered." I am tied too tightly to the seat of an emotional roller-coaster to even try to keep this up anymore.
What justifies scrutinizing and ridiculing me behind my back when I have been by Rob's side every moment possible, making the best decisions I can regarding his care?
I made sure I posted an update as often as possible, even though that sometimes meant fighting off sheer exhaustion after an overwhelming 14-hour day at the hospital. I am at the point of feeling sorry I even bothered.
I can no longer handle the mockery.
Please be assured of my sincere appreciation of those who have been living this experience with me via the blog and have genuinely cared about the well-being of our ENTIRE family.
The End.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
KNEEdy
Rob saw the orthopedic doctor this afternoon for the pain he's having in his left knee.
He took a trip down the hall to get an x-ray before the doctor came in to see him. Joel got to see pictures of daddy's bones!
Rob was examined and the doctor mentioned, again, that Rob's recovery has been remarkable. Unlike the doctor's findings, which were unremarkable. :) (That means he wasn't finding anything wrong, so it's a good thing.)
Since Rob is unable to take anti-inflammatories because of the brain bleed, it was opined that the best treatment would be a cortisone injection under Rob's kneecap.
The injection was kind of neat. The doctor showed Joel the "snow in a bottle" that gets sprayed onto the skin to freeze it for the injection. Everything went well and Rob said his knee went numb pretty quickly from the numbing agent that's mixed with the medication in the injection.
Rob seems pretty comfortable now, but the doctor said he may experience some discomfort through the next day or so, since it takes about 24 to 48 hours for the cortisone to start being effective.
The follow-up appointment is in three weeks. If the injection didn't ease Rob's knee pain, the doctor may order an MRI of the knee to get a better look inside. Hopefully that won't be necessary. :)
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
He took a trip down the hall to get an x-ray before the doctor came in to see him. Joel got to see pictures of daddy's bones!
Rob was examined and the doctor mentioned, again, that Rob's recovery has been remarkable. Unlike the doctor's findings, which were unremarkable. :) (That means he wasn't finding anything wrong, so it's a good thing.)
Since Rob is unable to take anti-inflammatories because of the brain bleed, it was opined that the best treatment would be a cortisone injection under Rob's kneecap.
The injection was kind of neat. The doctor showed Joel the "snow in a bottle" that gets sprayed onto the skin to freeze it for the injection. Everything went well and Rob said his knee went numb pretty quickly from the numbing agent that's mixed with the medication in the injection.
Rob seems pretty comfortable now, but the doctor said he may experience some discomfort through the next day or so, since it takes about 24 to 48 hours for the cortisone to start being effective.
The follow-up appointment is in three weeks. If the injection didn't ease Rob's knee pain, the doctor may order an MRI of the knee to get a better look inside. Hopefully that won't be necessary. :)
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
I guess I should apologize...
I try not to let it hurt my feelings when I find out how people really feel. Whatever "BS" some believe has been added to MY blog about MY husband is what I needed in order to cope with a devastating situation. I understand that there are those who can't seem to understand that I, too, needed strength and help in order to endure and cope with, not only what was happening to my husband, but my own disability. In many ways, my blog was my only way to communicate with friends and family while I was working hard at helping, supporting, learning, and comforting my husband in the hospital.
For those who think negatively of me for doing the absolute best I could through everything, I can only say that I'm sorry you feel that way.
There is something about me my husband loves and has loved for over 16 years. Our children are amazing, intelligent, and well-rounded. I'm proud of the way they are being raised and the beautiful people they are.
I suppose there's no longer a need to continue blogging about Rob's progress. There are other means of contacting us for those who wonder how he's doing. In some ways, I'm sorry that I put so much effort into making sure I posted as much as I did about things that were taking place. Especially since through it all I was being labeled negatively and some thought I wasn't providing "real updates".
For those who truly appreciated the blog and went through this journey with me ~ thank you for being genuine. (((hugs))) Thank you for your honest display of loving-kindness.
For those who think negatively of me for doing the absolute best I could through everything, I can only say that I'm sorry you feel that way.
There is something about me my husband loves and has loved for over 16 years. Our children are amazing, intelligent, and well-rounded. I'm proud of the way they are being raised and the beautiful people they are.
I suppose there's no longer a need to continue blogging about Rob's progress. There are other means of contacting us for those who wonder how he's doing. In some ways, I'm sorry that I put so much effort into making sure I posted as much as I did about things that were taking place. Especially since through it all I was being labeled negatively and some thought I wasn't providing "real updates".
For those who truly appreciated the blog and went through this journey with me ~ thank you for being genuine. (((hugs))) Thank you for your honest display of loving-kindness.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
The Physiatrist Surprise
Rob saw the physiatrist, Dr. O'Keefe, this morning. We were both surprised and very encouraged by this appointment! :)
Much of the appointment was spent reviewing what happened to Rob and what treatment he's undergoing. Dr. O'Keefe asked Rob if he felt ready to drive again, to which Rob replied no. We told Dr. O'Keefe that Rob will be having neuropsych testing next week with Dr. Tolsdorf. Dr. O'Keefe was happy to hear that and requested a copy of that report.
The doctor asked Rob to remember three words. He had him do some math in his head, spell some words backwards, checked his reflexes, and watched him walk. Rob was able to repeat the three words back after all the distractions in between, which was fabulous! He did excellent on the math and spelling, too. Dr. O'Keefe said he has increased reflexes on his left side, which is explained by the bleed that caused the stroke-like affect on the left. He had Rob follow his finger with his eyes and he said that the Fourth Nerve Palsy has improved! :) That's incredible news.
Dr. O'Keefe was very impressed with the recovery Rob has made. So impressed, Rob is discontinuing one of his medications, the amantadine. The doctor said amantadine should have been started in UMASS because it works to stabilize the secondary effects of the brain injury and helps to improve coordination. The sooner after the injury the medication is started, the quicker the progress of recovery. Dr. O'Keefe definitely feels that Rob doesn't need that medicine anymore. :)
He also feels that Rob's ready to take his driving evaluation. For that, we'll be going to Easter Seals in Meriden. Dr. O'Keefe is going to do that referral when he returns to his regular office in New London tomorrow. He discussed with Rob that people drive with one eye all the time and he may just need to wear a patch while driving to clear up the double-vision. Even with my optic neuritis, when it's bright outside I have to close my left eye often while I'm driving and have to turn my head more to be able to see with my right eye. He explained to Rob that he may just have to get used to some adjustments for a while.
Some people are really going to love to read this news: DR. O'KEEFE WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN EASING ROB BACK TO WORK! :)
The doctor's going to wait until after he gets Dr. Tolsdorf's report and opinion on employability, but does expect to officially give clearance for Rob to return to work on a part-time basis (4 hours/shift) at Rob's next appointment with him on November 2nd. Dr. O'Keefe is aware that Rob works third shift, so we will have to adjust the schedule of his medications, but he is confident that Rob can begin easing himself back to work.
We were both very surprised! I'm so happy!! :D Rob seemed to be happy to hear how remarkably he has recovered, too. ♥ YAY!!! :)
Much of the appointment was spent reviewing what happened to Rob and what treatment he's undergoing. Dr. O'Keefe asked Rob if he felt ready to drive again, to which Rob replied no. We told Dr. O'Keefe that Rob will be having neuropsych testing next week with Dr. Tolsdorf. Dr. O'Keefe was happy to hear that and requested a copy of that report.
The doctor asked Rob to remember three words. He had him do some math in his head, spell some words backwards, checked his reflexes, and watched him walk. Rob was able to repeat the three words back after all the distractions in between, which was fabulous! He did excellent on the math and spelling, too. Dr. O'Keefe said he has increased reflexes on his left side, which is explained by the bleed that caused the stroke-like affect on the left. He had Rob follow his finger with his eyes and he said that the Fourth Nerve Palsy has improved! :) That's incredible news.
Dr. O'Keefe was very impressed with the recovery Rob has made. So impressed, Rob is discontinuing one of his medications, the amantadine. The doctor said amantadine should have been started in UMASS because it works to stabilize the secondary effects of the brain injury and helps to improve coordination. The sooner after the injury the medication is started, the quicker the progress of recovery. Dr. O'Keefe definitely feels that Rob doesn't need that medicine anymore. :)
He also feels that Rob's ready to take his driving evaluation. For that, we'll be going to Easter Seals in Meriden. Dr. O'Keefe is going to do that referral when he returns to his regular office in New London tomorrow. He discussed with Rob that people drive with one eye all the time and he may just need to wear a patch while driving to clear up the double-vision. Even with my optic neuritis, when it's bright outside I have to close my left eye often while I'm driving and have to turn my head more to be able to see with my right eye. He explained to Rob that he may just have to get used to some adjustments for a while.
Some people are really going to love to read this news: DR. O'KEEFE WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN EASING ROB BACK TO WORK! :)
The doctor's going to wait until after he gets Dr. Tolsdorf's report and opinion on employability, but does expect to officially give clearance for Rob to return to work on a part-time basis (4 hours/shift) at Rob's next appointment with him on November 2nd. Dr. O'Keefe is aware that Rob works third shift, so we will have to adjust the schedule of his medications, but he is confident that Rob can begin easing himself back to work.
We were both very surprised! I'm so happy!! :D Rob seemed to be happy to hear how remarkably he has recovered, too. ♥ YAY!!! :)
Sunday, October 3, 2010
October's off to an excellent start. :)
Rob's being pushed harder in Physical Therapy. A lot of what his therapist is doing with him is stuff he was doing while at Gaylord. While they're not familiar exercises to Rob, I remember him doing these things and can see a huge improvement in his ability to perform the exercises. It's fantastic! :)
There's also much improvement in Rob's Speech Therapy tasks. He's learning how to strategize more effectively, which is demonstrated by his increased ability to recall information. Again, there are many tasks that Rob was not able to do while at Gaylord that he is doing really well with now. I love seeing the amazing strides he's making.
There is certainly a need for "supervision", but Rob has been encouraged to initiate on his own and take over some responsibilities. He's doing a wonderful job and I always look forward to discussing his accomplishments with his Speech Therapist. He's troubleshooting problems very well and following through on finishing projects. He set up his medicine container for the upcoming week on his own and even without prompting. I did mark the bottles according to the time of day he takes the medicine, but I think he'll be able to continue that responsibility without me having to mark them. I did a quick check to make sure it was done correctly, but also asked him if he had orange and red in the morning and orange and two whites at night and he was able to confirm that. :)
Yesterday was a gorgeous autumn day so we decided to hit the disc golf course. Rob played well for his first time post-accident. He said it was "depressing", but he's just being too hard on himself. I know how frustrating difficulties with vision are. I also found out Friday that I have decreased strength in my right hand, which was sort of surprising to me. I know I've been "trembly", dropping things and having difficulty writing, but I've probably been too busy to notice how weak my right hand is getting. As far as my optic neuritis, there's not much that can be done about the worsening in my vision. My neurologist said it's typical and my eye doctor said we're just going to watch it. I'm noticing a lot of desaturation. Rob has double vision, which is different, but anything that messes up the way you see is frustrating and disturbing. He says he wishes there was a pill he could take that would fix his vision. I feel bad that it's just going to take time to resolve itself. The eye doctor is upset that insurance won't pay for the vision therapist because he says Rob needs therapy, and we know that. He provided Rob with an aid to use at home in addition to the other things he's been doing. Rob goes back to see him in three weeks. The doctor's hoping to be able to progress Rob to prism stickers on his lenses that are able to be changed as his vision gets better. For now, he's just pleased that Rob is comfortable using the glasses and has corrected vision with them. I'm pretty confident Rob won't have his #61 disc golf tag too much longer. He'll be back in the competitive game soon enough. ;)
On our way home from the disc golf course, we figured we'd stop by my brother's house. When we pulled up to the road and Rob saw cars there, he was hesitant for me to stop. With assurance that it was just our sister-in-law's parents, we proceeded. It was a very quick visit, since they were actually heading out to a friend's wedding, which my brother was in, but Rob did get to meet our new nephew and I got to hold his adorable little hand and talk him out of crying for a few moments. :P Rob mentioned that he'd like to follow through on the plan visit with them later this afternoon, so hopefully we'll be able to make that happen. We will be visiting at Rob's parents' house in a little while, though. Optimistically, none of us will be too tired or overwhelmed to keep all our plans for the day. :)
The coming week includes an appointment with the Physiatrist, which is going to be very helpful in coordinating Rob's care, as well as continuing Physical Therapies and Speech Therapies. I have an appointment for another brain MRI in Norwich. It makes me nervous that I have to take my van all that way, but I've been making it so far. Rob is also going to begin seeing the orthopedic doctor for his left knee this week. So, as usual, we'll be busy, busy, busy. It sure does keep us on our toes, though. ;)
There's also much improvement in Rob's Speech Therapy tasks. He's learning how to strategize more effectively, which is demonstrated by his increased ability to recall information. Again, there are many tasks that Rob was not able to do while at Gaylord that he is doing really well with now. I love seeing the amazing strides he's making.
There is certainly a need for "supervision", but Rob has been encouraged to initiate on his own and take over some responsibilities. He's doing a wonderful job and I always look forward to discussing his accomplishments with his Speech Therapist. He's troubleshooting problems very well and following through on finishing projects. He set up his medicine container for the upcoming week on his own and even without prompting. I did mark the bottles according to the time of day he takes the medicine, but I think he'll be able to continue that responsibility without me having to mark them. I did a quick check to make sure it was done correctly, but also asked him if he had orange and red in the morning and orange and two whites at night and he was able to confirm that. :)
Yesterday was a gorgeous autumn day so we decided to hit the disc golf course. Rob played well for his first time post-accident. He said it was "depressing", but he's just being too hard on himself. I know how frustrating difficulties with vision are. I also found out Friday that I have decreased strength in my right hand, which was sort of surprising to me. I know I've been "trembly", dropping things and having difficulty writing, but I've probably been too busy to notice how weak my right hand is getting. As far as my optic neuritis, there's not much that can be done about the worsening in my vision. My neurologist said it's typical and my eye doctor said we're just going to watch it. I'm noticing a lot of desaturation. Rob has double vision, which is different, but anything that messes up the way you see is frustrating and disturbing. He says he wishes there was a pill he could take that would fix his vision. I feel bad that it's just going to take time to resolve itself. The eye doctor is upset that insurance won't pay for the vision therapist because he says Rob needs therapy, and we know that. He provided Rob with an aid to use at home in addition to the other things he's been doing. Rob goes back to see him in three weeks. The doctor's hoping to be able to progress Rob to prism stickers on his lenses that are able to be changed as his vision gets better. For now, he's just pleased that Rob is comfortable using the glasses and has corrected vision with them. I'm pretty confident Rob won't have his #61 disc golf tag too much longer. He'll be back in the competitive game soon enough. ;)
On our way home from the disc golf course, we figured we'd stop by my brother's house. When we pulled up to the road and Rob saw cars there, he was hesitant for me to stop. With assurance that it was just our sister-in-law's parents, we proceeded. It was a very quick visit, since they were actually heading out to a friend's wedding, which my brother was in, but Rob did get to meet our new nephew and I got to hold his adorable little hand and talk him out of crying for a few moments. :P Rob mentioned that he'd like to follow through on the plan visit with them later this afternoon, so hopefully we'll be able to make that happen. We will be visiting at Rob's parents' house in a little while, though. Optimistically, none of us will be too tired or overwhelmed to keep all our plans for the day. :)
The coming week includes an appointment with the Physiatrist, which is going to be very helpful in coordinating Rob's care, as well as continuing Physical Therapies and Speech Therapies. I have an appointment for another brain MRI in Norwich. It makes me nervous that I have to take my van all that way, but I've been making it so far. Rob is also going to begin seeing the orthopedic doctor for his left knee this week. So, as usual, we'll be busy, busy, busy. It sure does keep us on our toes, though. ;)
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